Turkish Yogurt Cake – My Recipe Reviews (2024)

FAQs

What does Turkish yogurt taste like? ›

Turkish yoghurt, commonly referred to as "strained yoghurt" or "yayk ayran," is a well-liked dairy product that is appreciated for its creamy consistency and tart flavor.

Its creaminess helps keep baked goods moist. Its tanginess imparts a crave-worthy, old-fashioned flavor. Its acidity helps activate baking soda, which can make baked goods fluffy and light.

The thick yogurt makes for a “denser, tighter crumb” and makes the case more “luscious,” she says. “That is a unique ability of yogurt.” Its inherent sour tang also nicely mellows out the sweetness of the cake. And yes, it just so happens to be more nutritious than, say, sour cream.

Yogurt is a good replacement for any soured milk product such as buttermilk or sour cream, but not for eggs. Eggs are used for moisture, structure/binding and leavening in baked goods.

Yogurt, in addition to extending the life of milk, was easier to digest because the bacteria assisted in breaking down lactose. It can be said that yogurt was the first probiotic. High in fat, protein, vitamins and calcium, yogurt was considered a sort of miracle food for people throughout the Ottoman Empire.

Turkish yogurt is a nutritious and healthy food that's packed with essential nutrients and health-promoting compounds. It's a rich source of protein, which is important for maintaining and repairing the body's tissues, and it's also a good source of calcium, which is essential for strong bones and teeth.

Applesauce acts much like the fat. It keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery, dense texture. This is what does applesauce do in baking.

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.

These proteins contribute a fluffy structure to cake or quick breads. So when substituting, just keep in mind: Sour cream = more dense and rich; Greek yogurt = more airy and moist.

Underbaking Your Cakes

Underbaking is one of the most frequent reasons that cakes and quick breads collapse. Baking times are essential guides, but ovens and cake pans vary, so checking for doneness with a cake tester is the ultimate insurance against underbaking.

Can yogurt replace butter in a cake recipe? ›

If the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt. However, yogurt tends to increase the moisture content in a recipe, and as such, bakers suggest only using yogurt in place of recipes that call for 1 cup or less of butter.

Here are a few substitution ratios to keep in mind: Try cutting the oil in your recipe back by substituting ½ of the amount of oil with ¾ the amount of yogurt. For example, if your recipe lists 1 Cup of Oil, try replacing ½ cup of Oil with ¾ cup of yogurt. Try substituting the butter in your recipe with yogurt.

Both yogurt and buttermilk are good substitutes for eggs. It's best to use plain yogurt, as flavored and sweetened varieties may alter the flavor of your recipe. You can use 1/4 cup (60 g) of yogurt or buttermilk for each egg that needs to be replaced. This substitution works best for muffins, cakes, and cupcakes.

Sour cream helps to tenderize cakes.

The lactic acid in sour cream breaks down the proteins in the flour, making for a softer, more tender cake. This is especially important for chocolate cakes, which are often dry and tough. So, if you find your chocolate cake too dry, try adding some sour cream to the recipe!

Greek yogurt is strained, but is not as dense as Turkish strained yogurt. It is the middle between strained and non-strained Turkish yogurt. They are all essentially the same -- just milk and culture.

Turkish yogurt, or yoğurt, is standard yogurt that's strained through a fine-mesh cloth to remove the liquid whey. The result is a thicker, richer yogurt that's similar to Greek yogurt with some minor differences in texture and flavor.

The texture you get is like that of cream cheese, and this is often mistaken to be a curd cheese – though it is actually made from yogurt. The straining process gives you what is commonly called Greek yogurt. Further straining will give you lebne, which has a thicker texture.

Turkish yogurt is paired with slices of delicious meat, topped on noodle dumplings, mantı, and mixed with delicious vegetable mezes. Yogurt can easily make or break the meal.